Faculty Research: Molecular and Cell Biology

Currently, vision research projects in molecular and cell biology include investigations into gene therapy for inherited retinal degeneration, neurobiology of photoreceptors, infectious keratitis in contact lens wearers, pathogenesis of bacterial infection of the cornea, photochemistry of visual pigments and bacterial rhodopsin, epithelial function and regulation, membrane biophysics, corneal physiology, ocular disease processes,myopia, and eye growth regulation.

Yang Dan, PhD
Visual neurophysiology, computational neuroscience

John G. Flannery, PhD
Gene therapy, inherited retinal degeneration, neurobiology of photoreceptors, signal transducing intermediates in the visual system

Suzanne J. Fleiszig, OD, PhD
Infectious keratitis in contact lens wearers, pathogenesis of bacterial infection of the cornea

Xiaohua Gong, PhD
Molecular mechanisms for eye development and disease

Karsten Gronert, PhD
Ocular inflammation/immunology and wound healing

Richard H. Kramer, PhD
Chemical signaling within and between neurons.

Richard A. Mathies, PhD
Photochemistry of visual pigments and bacterial rhodopsin

W. Geoffrey Owen, PhD
Phototransduction, retinal physiology, adaptation, retinal computation

Kenneth A. Polse, OD, MS
Contact lenses, extended wear, tear flow, post-lens tear thickness, epithelial permeability (barrier function), corneal acidosis, corneal physiology, ocular disease processes

Frank S. Werblin, PhD
Electrophysiology of local circuit interactions in the neural retina

Christine Wildsoet, OD, BSc, PhD
Emmetropization, retinal processing of defocus, choroidal accommodation, retina-choroid-sclera signal pathway, ocular rhythms, pharmacological modulation of eye growth, blur detection, anisometropia, refractive development in albinos

For more information, see the UC Berkeley Ocular Development & Disease Website.